Sunday 9th December 2018

A day that will be etched into my memory due to the back pain I suffered after tying my shoelaces.

That was at quarter to ten, so what happened before then was normal, after that not normal.

And it all seemed to be going so well.

We got up late, had coffee and I watched MOTD, made bacon butties, while outside the day wasn't sunny, but OK to work in the garden.

I had a stack of stuff to do, pruning roses, cutting the raspberry canes down and maybe putting the membrane and the stones down in the front garden. Jools was already outside, I went to clean my teeth, got a jumper to wear outside, grabbed my boots from the utility room to put on outside. I used the small bench out on the top patio to put my feet onto when tying the laces. I did one, did the other, and felt my back go. Any movement hurt like billio, as Granddad would say.

I called for Jools, who probably thought I was being an arse, she carried on shovelling compost. I called again, same result. I called again and asked her to come to me.

I can't stand up, my back has gone I said.

She knew what to do, helped my stand up, but the pain was intense. After catching my breath, I just about managed to get up the steps and into the house. I thought the pain would just ease, but it was still there, as bad as ever.

I walked into the living room, tried to sit down, but that was worse, the pain shot up my back.

It was painful to walk, more painful to sit.

I shuffle around the house. Jools makes me take drugs.

It makes little difference.

We call the NHS helpline, and we go through the prepared list of questions, and they are happy that it is soft tissue damage, nothing more serious than that, and advise keeping moving and calling my doctor the next day, though not sure what he could do.

After walking round the living room for an hour, I could just manage to site down, but when I stood up the pain started again.

It does ease off some, so we have lunch, and I think I would like to have a lay down. Tis proved to be a huge mistake, as when I woke up an hour later, I could not move to the edge of the bed without getting shooting pains in my back. Jools came in and helped me get to the edge of the bed, but there was no way I could stand up without it hurting. I couldn't stay there forever, so took a deep breath and stood up.

By crikey, that smarted. I saw stars, but it eased off a little, but the pain was as bad as when I did the injury.

I knew at that point I could go to bed that night, so would have to spend it in the armchair.

I am pretty miserable to be honest, just hurting.

It gets dark, we don't have dinner, just another thich slice of wonderful Christmas cake, and it was time for Jools to go to bed. For me, I settle down with a brew, some drugs and the internet for company. It was going to be a long night.